I, Nephi

Well, it’s a brand new year…

Some things, this year, defy explanation …

So, let’s get started…

A little history 597 BC King Nebuchadnezzar Places Mattaniah on Throne, Names him Zedekiah 589 BC Zedekiah sides with Egypt, Babylon attacks, destroys Jerusalem Lehi Leaves

Nephi 1-7 Is there a theme here? Jews sought Lehi’s life Boys sent to get plates Nephi goes to get plates Lord warns Lehi in a dream- He leaves Escape, leaving their riches Finds, kills Laban

1 Nephi 4 I, Nephi, crept into the city and went forth towards the house of Laban. And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless I went forth, and as I came near unto the house of Laban I beheld a man, and he had fallen to the earth before me, for he was drunken with wine. And when I came to him I found that it was Laban… And it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should kill Laban; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I shed the blood of man. And I shrunk and would that I might not slay him. Question: Why would Nephi include this story?

Nephi 1-7 Is there a theme here? Jews sought Lehi’s life Boys sent to get plates Nephi goes to get plates Nephi bound in the wilderness Lord warns Lehi in a dream- He leaves Escape, leaving their riches Finds, kills Laban Bands are “loosed”, hearts softened

What a difference… And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness. And thus Laman and Lemuel, being the eldest, did murmur against their father. And they did murmur because they knew not the dealings of that God who had created them. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, … 1) having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, 2) I did cry unto the Lord; and 3) behold he did visit me, and 4) did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, 5) I did not rebel Question: How do we create this “desire” in our children? And Satan … sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world. (Moses 4:6)

Joseph Fielding McConkie Our works will be placed in one of the pans of balance and the desires of our heart in the other. Where our works are lacking because of circumstances beyond our control, the desires of our hearts can compensate. For instance, if someone did not marry in the temple because the opportunity to do so was not afforded but in the judgment of God that person would have taken that opportunity with all his or her heart, then the scales are balanced. That individual is rewarded as if he or she had complied with the commandment. On the other hand, impressive works may hide evil desires left unfulfilled only because the opportunity to act on them did not come. Again, the reward will accord with the desires of the heart. Though men may deceive each other, none will deceive God. Nor will there be so much as a single soul from one end of eternity to the other who will be denied the blessings of heaven because of circumstances beyond his or her control. ( Revelations of the Restoration)

We often quote: 1 Nephi 3:7 I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them. Questions: 1- Do we believe this? 2- Do our kids know that we know? 3- Do they believe it?

The Maze

An Example Your 14 year old son comes home one day with a problem. A group of four or five boys in his geometry class have been cheating on quizzes. Your son has resisted their invitations to join him. The result is that their scores consistently end up higher than his. And, he finds out that they are preparing to cheat on big final exam next week. He wants to know what he should do. Son: So, dad, what do I do? If they go ahead and all cheat it could really hurt my final grade! Dad: Well, I’m proud of you for not cheating. What have you thought about doing? Son: I could go tell the teacher about them. Then they would all be mad at me. Nobody likes a snitch! Dad: That’s a pretty big bind. What did you feel when you prayed about it? Son: I didn’t. Heavenly Father doesn’t care about my geometry score! Dad: But he does love you and cares about you being honest. Son: OK. Dad: Pray about it tonight and listen for what you feel. Son: But what if the answer is that I’m supposed to tell the teacher. Dad: If the Lord tells you to tell the teacher, don’t you think He knows everything will be for your good if you do? Son: I guess so. Dad: And if that is the answer, I can’t promise they won’t be mad—just that it will be OK. You just have to be willing to do whatever He tells you do. Son: Alright, Dad. I’ll try it.

Elder Charles Didier May I point out to you that if you have one foot in the Church and the other foot in the world, and that if the world is moving in one direction and the Church is moving in the other direction, it is going to hurt very soon! You have to understand the mechanism. This reminds me of another story about a certain town where an electric generator failed, throwing the inhabitants into darkness. Mechanics and engineers could not figure out what was wrong. They called an aged professor from the university who looked at the generator for a while, asked for a mallet, and tapped on the generator. Suddenly there was electricity again. He was asked to send his bill. The bill amounted to $1, The president of the company asked him to itemize the bill. The professor answered: "Tapping, $.07; knowing where to tap, $1, " Knowing where to tap requires that we know that we belong to a church that is the true Church of Jesus Christ and that we know our Heavenly Father. BYU Fireside, May 1980